1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric steering lock device and an assembling method, to be applied to vehicles such as automobiles.
2. Related Art
As conventional electric steering lock devices, for example, JP-A-2004-231123 and JP-A-2003-276565 disclose, respectively, an electric steering lock device comprising a worm gear which rotates by a rotary motor, a helical gear which rotates by rotation of the worm gear, a lock arm and a cam which operate in association with rotation of this helical gear, a lock stopper which moves between a lock position and an unlock position with respect to a steering shaft, a lock bar, and a lock body housing these parts has been known.
This electric steering lock device has a configuration, in which the lock bar is moved between the lock position and the unlock position with respect to the steering shaft by mutually rotating the rotary motor in opposite directions. However, according to the electric steering lock device of JP-A-2004-231123 etc., as mentioned above, since the helical gear is rotated by the rotary motor through the worm gear and the rotary motor is mutually rotated in opposite directions, thrust load is applied on the helical gear in a rotational direction at each motor rotation, and there is a disadvantage in that abnormal noise such as impact sound etc. is generated by contacting strongly with a bearing.